Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles is already one of the state’s largest casinos. However, its ownership is set to upgrade the resort’s facilities and make it even larger.
Once completed in fall 2025, the resort’s meeting and convention space will double. The facility will be one of the largest convention centers in the St. Louis area and the largest in St. Charles County.
Ameristar has not said what the cost will be.
Renovation includes upgrades of 7 restaurants
Ameristar St. Charles is one of 13 riverboat casinos in the state. Although Missouri online casinos remain prohibited, online casino play, and online poker, is available to Missourians through sweepstakes and social casinos.
In addition to expanding its convention center, the casino plans to upgrade its hotels and dining facilities.
- Add 43,000 square feet of meeting and event space
- Upgrade 397 hotel rooms for a total of 400 all-suite hotel rooms
- Upgrade seven of the resort’s restaurants
- Replace Amerisports Bar & Grill with a sports bar and gastropub
- Rebrand the property’s steakhouse
- Upgrade the VIP lounge experience
Ward Shaw, executive vice president of operations for Boyd Gaming, said the renovation project is meant to keep it at the forefront of gaming in the Show Me State.
“Through these investments, our goal is to ensure that Ameristar remains a unique and appealing destination for existing and new guests alike and continues to draw more visitors to the St. Charles community.”
The convention center’s current size is 22,000 square feet. The property has a 130,000-square-foot casino, over 1,700 state-of-the-art slot and video poker machines and a high-limit salon.
Ameristar Casino and its parent company faring well
Doug Lang, Ameristar senior vice president and general manager, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the convention center is already booked nearly every weekend of the year, so the expansion “is not a build it and they will come moment.”
Executives from Boyd Gaming, the parent company of Ameristar Casino and the Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, expressed optimism about the company’s Missouri properties during a second-quarter earnings call in late July. The company reported revenue of $967.5 million, up from $917.0 million in the second quarter of the previous year.
During the call, executives mentioned the St. Charles renovations and positive customer growth in the Midwest segment.
Boyd Gaming operates 28 gaming properties in 10 states. There are rumors the company is moving to acquire Penn Entertainment’s three gaming properties in Missouri. This would probably lead to the Missouri Gaming Commission forcing Boyd to sell some of its properties.
Boyd is unlikely to sell the St. Louis-area property if it acquired Penn.
